A 13-year-old girl who didn’t tell her parents she had been bitten by a dog died of rabies two months later.
Jamaica Star Seraspe said she had scraped herself on metal wire as she feared she’d be told off if she told the truth.
The teenager had been walking home from school in Tondo District, Manila, in the Philippines when the stray dog bit her on February 9.
Instead of seeking immediate medical attention, Jamaica decided to lie to her parents about the incident.
It was only two months later, when she developed serious symptoms, including fever, back pain, fatigue and difficulties drinking water, that she admitted to her mum Roselyn Saraspe what had happened.
Jamaica was admitted to San Lazaro Hospital on April 5, where nurses had to restrain her limbs because she was restless and kept thrashing in her bed.
A helpless Roselyn said she ‘felt her heart being crushed’ as she watched her youngest child grow weaker, foaming at the mouth, before succumbing to the virus on April 6.
She said: ‘I can’t accept Jamaica’s death. It’s difficult because she was taken from us so suddenly.
‘She told me she couldn’t drink water. She said she believed she might have rabies because she was bitten by a dog in February.
‘I asked her why she didn’t tell me right away. She kept apologising. I told her I wasn’t mad at her, but we could have had her checked sooner.
‘When she asked me if she was going to die, I felt scared. I wanted to go into hysterics.’
The grieving mum said she first became worried when Jamaica developed a fever and back pains on April 4, which she initially thought was due to her daughter’s period or a urinary tract infection.
The fever subsided the following morning, but returned in full force before noon, which is when she was taken to hospital.
Her autopsy report showed she had died of rabies encephalitis, which is nearly always fatal by the time symptoms begin to appear.
Village authorities said the dog that had bitten Jamaica had also attacked seven other people in February. It was caught by local officials, but died at the veterinary clinic eight days later.
Roselyn warned other parents in an online post on April 18: ‘To other parents, be conscious if your child is acting strange.
‘Teach your children to take cat scratches and dog bites seriously, and to tell adults right away. Rabies is not a joke. It is fatal. Do not take it lightly, so that others can avoid what my daughter experienced.
‘And to pet owners, please be responsible for your animals. Make sure they are vaccinated so they cannot cause harm to other people.
‘In spite of everything, I am proud of my daughter because she tried to be brave throughout the ordeal.’
Jamaica chronicled the days before her death in heartbreaking messages she sent to her own account.
She wrote: ‘Actually, I know that I have rabies. I just couldn’t tell Mama because I didn’t want her to be disappointed.
‘That day, my mum thought I had a UTI. But I didn’t know if it was really a UTI or rabies.
‘I’ve done a lot of research about rabies when I was bitten in February 9. Since then, I couldn’t accept that I would become rabid one day. It’s too late for me to be vaccinated.’
In another set of messages written on April 5, Jamaica said: ‘I had a hard time to breathe. I started to search on YouTube about rabid humans. Gosh, those children… They will literally die slowly and painfully, and the hydrophobia they were experiencing is the same as mine.
‘I can’t believe a teenager like me would experience this. If I get hospitalized, please just send me into a coma rather than being conscious in pain.
The teenager continued: ‘I will really miss bonding with my loved ones. I loved them. This is my one last goodbye. Just remember: I’ll be staying by your side no matter what.
‘The reason I wrote these is so they can remember my death, and to remind people to be aware of animals that can transmit this disease. That’s all. Goodbye, world.’
Speaking to local media, Dr. Juancho Bunyi, Muntinlupa City Health Officer, said: ‘When an animal is infected with rabies, the virus immediately travels through our system.
‘The wound should be washed 10 minutes vigorously with running water. If you have antiseptic or alcohol or iodine, pour liberally on the wound site.’
Doctors said rabies symptoms may take days, weeks, or months before symptoms such as fever, headache, delirium, and hydrophobia start to appear as the virus travels to the brain.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are less than 20 documented cases of human survival from clinical rabies.
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